Unconditional Love
by Kristen3
Summary: A minor fall in his office sends Niles home early. But the chance to spend time with his family is always welcome. One-shot.


Niles was busy reading through a case history of one of his patients. The man had been coming here for years, and though he had made some progress, he was not yet cured. At a loss for what to do, Niles had decided to look back into the man's file in hopes of finding something he'd overlooked. Some of his notes included references and page numbers to one of the psychology books he kept nearby. But he could not remember what was on those pages. Quickly, he got up and picked up the book. It had been a long time since he'd looked at it, and he was amazed at the insights within its pages. He began to walk back to his desk, never looking up from the book. He turned to sit down. But he'd misjudged where the chair was, and he missed it by a fraction of on inch. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor. Immediately he touched the back of his head. He had made contact with the bookcase behind his desk. The pain was overwhelming.

"Dr. Crane?" Mrs. Woodson stuck her head in the doorway. "I heard something fall in here. Is everything all right?"

Niles sighed. "It was me. I wasn't paying attention, and..." He shook his head. The pain did not subside.

"Oh, Dr. Crane, perhaps you should go home. I can call Daphne to get you if you like." Mrs. Woodson offered a hand to help him up.

Niles swallowed. "No, that won't be necessary. I'll be fine." He began to stand. Then he noticed that his head wasn't the only thing feeling the impact of his fall. He'd also landed quite hard on his backside. "Well, that smarts." He massaged his injured tailbone.

"I really think you'd be much better off at home." His receptionist smiled sympathetically.

Ever since the day he'd hired her, Niles had regarded Mrs. Woodson as nothing less than a godsend. He knew she cared for him and his patients deeply. She would not take "no" for an answer. She was forever reminding him that he had a family, and he needed to spend time with David before his childhood years flew by. The pain in his head had reduced itself to an annoying throb. He glanced at his desk and saw a photo of Daphne and David grinning. The faces of the two people he loved most made him melt instantly. "You might be right," he finally said.

Mrs. Woodson smiled. "Your wife and baby will be glad to see you." In an instant she was back at her desk. She called Daphne at once. Then she returned to Niles' office. "She's on her way. I'll just cancel your last patient, and then I'll go home, too."

Niles nodded. He felt silly, ending his day just because of something so stupid. But it wasn't as if he hadn't helped anyone today. Though he loved his job, Niles sometimes found it difficult to help so many troubled souls. He wished he could do more, and it frustrated him each time he realized he couldn't do everything. But any time he felt that way, he had only to look at that photograph to remember that at least two people loved him unconditionally. There could be no greater accomplishment.

As he sat there, thinking of his family, he wasn't really aware of time passing, and so it seemed to him as if Daphne appeared almost as soon as Mrs. Woodson had announced she had called. David lay in his mother's arms, sound asleep. "I was glad when Mrs. Woodson called," Daphne said. "Because I know David was missing his daddy."

Niles smiled and sighed contentedly. "I missed you both."

Daphne grinned, placing her free hand in his. "Let's get you home. Are you hurt?"

"Well, I won't say that fall was pleasant! But I don't think any permanent damage has been done."

"Good," Daphne said, kissing him. They walked out to the elevator and rode down to the parking garage. Niles insisted he was perfectly fine and could drive himself home, but Daphne would not hear of it. "We can get your car later," she explained. She placed David in his carseat.

Niles knew there was no use in arguing. And besides, he found it touching that she cared so deeply for his safety. When he climbed into the passenger's seat, he leaned over to kiss his wife. "Thank you for coming to get me, my love."

Daphne smiled and squeezed his hand before pulling out of the parking space. They arrived back at the Montana quickly. Niles carried his son upstairs. When they'd reached their apartment, Daphne turned to her husband. "Why don't you sit on the couch?" she suggested. "I'll just go and fetch David's bottle, and you can give it to him."

Niles sat. Every time he held his son, he was amazed that something this precious could exist. The baby remained asleep, but Niles heard David sigh softly. "I love you so much," he whispered, kissing the infant's forehead.

A moment later, Daphne returned, bottle in hand. "Here we are." She smiled at her husband. She knew that Niles had been nervous about this, having so little experience with babies. But David seemed to love and trust both of his parents equally.

Niles took the bottle that Daphne offered. He slowly moved it towards David's mouth. And, somehow, even in sleep, his lips opened just enough to fit the nipple in.

Daphne beamed proudly. "I guess someone really was hungry!" She watched for a moment longer, her heart warming at the sight before her. "Why don't I leave you two alone to enjoy that bottle? I'll just go and start making dinner."

"All right." Niles barely glanced up as he spoke. Instead, he watched his son's every breath. Daphne got up. Once again, Niles kissed his son's forehead. Soon the bottle was nearly empty. David began to fuss. Immediately, Niles began to panic. But somehow, he regained his calm, realizing that his son might take a cue from his own emotional state. "Sh, it's all right. Just go right back to sleep." As Niles watched, David began to breathe more deeply.

Daphne emerged from the kitchen, having heard her son's cries. But she saw that Niles had the situation under control.

A smile appeared on Niles' face when he felt her presence. "I think he'd like to go back up to the nursery." Daphne nodded. She stepped forward, intending take the baby from him. But Niles surprised her. "It's all right. I'll take him."

Once again, Daphne was amazed by her husband. He'd had so much to learn about fatherhood and how to care for a baby. But he seemed to be a natural. She watched as he stood, without disturbing David's sleep. He carefully ascended the stairs.

Daphne had always known that she would love motherhood. Caring for others was second nature to her. David had filled their home with more love than she could've ever imagined. She knew from Roz's experiences the many ways that having a baby could change things. But she'd never expected to find herself seeing Niles in this new light. She would always be grateful for this opportunity to fall in love with her husband all over again.

**The End**


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